Chennai: In a major organisational overhaul following its setback in the 2026 assembly polls, DMK on Saturday capped the maximum age of district secretaries at 70 and limited their tenure to three terms. The move is expected to see several former ministers, including E V Velu, Anitha R Radhakrishnan, S Muthusamy, S Regupathy and R Gandhi, losing their posts.The decision was taken at a meeting of the party’s executive committee at its headquarters in Chennai on Saturday. The meeting was chaired by former chief minister and DMK president M K Stalin. Under the new arrangement, there will be one organisational district for every two Assembly constituencies, based on revenue districts. The number of district units will be increased from the existing 77 to 110.District executive committee meetings will be held to finalise the union, town, area and ward-level structures within a fortnight. “Party leadership was very aggressive in reducing the age limit. The age criteria were fixed following complaints received from cadres and the public, both online and offline,” a senior DMK leader said.Branch secretaries will be limited to two terms and must be aged 45 or below. Town panchayat, town and area secretaries will have an age cap of 60 and a two-term limit, while ward secretaries must be 50 or younger and can serve a maximum of two terms. Union secretaries will also be capped at 60 and limited to two terms, with one union unit for every 30,000 voters.The age and tenure restrictions are part of the DMK’s effort to induct younger leaders and overhaul its organisation. The party had formed a 38-member team to collect feedback from cadres and district-level functionaries. It later constituted a 10-member committee headed by former minister Thangam Thennarasu to recommend structural changes based on the feedback. “This is a historic step and will ensure that the party remains strong for the next 50 years. Discussions are under way on representation for women and members of backward communities, and this can be expected soon,” Former MLA N Ezhilan told reporters.
